Chapter 72: Pighead at Camp Nou
Whenever Real Madrid meets Barcelona, the whole world looks forward to it.
Fans call this match the national derby or the derby of the century.
Before the game, some media wrote that the first century derby of 2006 came at a very bad time, because both teams were distracted by the Champions League , Barcelona was plagued by injuries, and Real Madrid was in turmoil, resulting in both teams being unable to play to their strongest strength.
But some people also think that the more this situation happens, the more it can reflect the foundation and strength of the two teams.
In the past, before every national derby, the Spanish media would warm up two weeks in advance, which was a higher treatment than the Champions League final, which shows how much importance Spain attaches to this game.
But this year, there is no way.
Before the national derby, both teams had been fighting hard and neither team played very well.
Barcelona drew 0-0 with Benfica away in Portugal. Although many people said that Rijkaard was saving his energy for the national derby, who knows about this kind of thing?
If we don’t score any goals away from home, what if we get upset by Benfica when we return to Camp Nou?
Real Madrid also had a bad time. After finally reversing Arsenal in the round of 16 to advance, they tied Juventus 0-0 away in the first leg of the quarter-finals. Yes, Real Madrid tied Juventus.
Throughout almost the entire game, Real Madrid was extremely badly suppressed by Juventus, and finally managed to escape thanks to the team's defense.
Whether it is against Juventus, the previous La Liga, or even against Arsenal, the current Real Madrid no longer has even half the charm of the Real Madrid in the previous Galacticos era.
Especially employing a 25-year-old rookie as the team's head coach is an unprecedented event.
Before the game, the media of both teams created hype for the game.
Real Madrid has and has won five consecutive games. It seems that they are in a strong momentum and it is entirely possible that they will beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp and further narrow the points gap.
The media on the Barcelona side believe that Rijkaard's Dream Team II will completely tear off Real Madrid's fig leaf at the Nou Camp.
If the media are just engaging in verbal battles, then the fans who place bets at bookmakers are betting with real money.
Three to one!
This is the score favored by nearly half of the lottery players. According to international practice, the home team is in front and the visiting team is behind.
That is to say, nearly half of the fans believe that Barcelona will beat Real Madrid 3-1 at home.
Barcelona midfielder Deco said in an interview with the media: "If we beat Real Madrid, Barcelona will win the championship in advance!"
Captain Puyol also believes that if Barcelona wins this game, they will win the championship in advance, but if they lose, it will not have any impact on the overall situation of La Liga. "Even if we lose, we are still two points ahead, so our mentality will be better than our opponents."
Kick more relaxed!
This is also what Barcelona godfather Cruyff emphasized in his column.
Cruyff believes that Barcelona has an absolute advantage on the psychological level and can play more easily and calmly.
Being five points behind in the standings forces Real Madrid to win at Camp Nou in order to maintain pressure on Barcelona, but this in itself is a shackle on Real Madrid.
Cruyff said that apart from injuries, Rijkaard's team had no problems and the team's ability to create opportunities was still strong, including in the game against Benfica, or in the draws and losses in the league.
"The dominant advantage proves that Barcelona is indeed better than its opponents. The failure to convert the advantage into goals is not just a matter of luck. The team needs to make some adjustments in the details, such as playing more directly and efficiently."
What Cruyff meant was that Barcelona should avoid excessive sticking to the ball and attack in a simpler, more direct and faster way.
In addition, Cruyff also suggested that Rijkaard should intensify the pressure on Real Madrid's defense. He even felt that the team could make more cross passes in front of Real Madrid's penalty area to create offensive space and opportunities.
"In a small area, precise and fast passing is Barcelona's advantage."
Finally, Cruyff concluded that Rijkaard and his Barcelona would teach Real Madrid a lesson at Camp Nou!
"I even think that if we win 3-0 like at the Bernabeu, I won't be surprised at all."
…
Whether it is Cruyff or the media hype, these are external factors.
But as the head coach of Barcelona, Rijkaard had no way to think like them.
Even on game morning, he hadn't decided what his starting lineup would be.
Because he has been thinking about one question: Will Ronaldo start?
So much so that in the morning, when Barcelona's first-team coaching staff was in a meeting, Rijkaard had a frown on his face the entire time.
"Last night, Real Madrid arrived in Barcelona and checked into the hotel by the sea. They haven't come out since then. According to the information we received, they held a simple birthday party for Ramos in the hotel."
"Wait!" Tencart called out when he heard this, "What birthday party?"
With the big battle approaching, Real Madrid still has the mind to hold a birthday party?
"It is said that the head coach Gao Shen asked the hotel to prepare for Ramos' birthday in advance, and all the team members attended."
"Including Ronaldo?" Ten Cate asked again.
"Um."
After getting a positive answer, Ten Cate turned to look at head coach Rijkaard and found that he hadn't spoken a word the whole time.
"If Ronaldo is really allowed to start, then our lineup will have to be changed, especially the central defender. Oleger, Van Bommel and Cocu cannot play in this position. Let Thiago Motta partner with Puyol."
Rijkaard folded his arms across his chest and remained silent.
He has been wondering whether Ronaldo will start.
According to his original idea, Real Madrid would not use Negredo, but Ronaldo would start instead. He wanted to give Belletti a rest, Oleguer to the right, and Motta to come back as a central defender and partner with Puyol.
Van Bommel's performance against Benfica, when partnered with Oleger, was quite average. This time he wants to try Motta.
There is nothing that can be done about this. Edmilson and Marcos are both injured, and Barcelona is seriously short of central defenders.
Oleguer has excellent physical conditions, but lacks speed and flexibility. If it was Negredo, he could still handle it, but if it was Ronaldo, he would be in trouble.
The main reason is that Ronaldo's movement is too cunning.
Belletti has started for several games in a row and is indeed a little tired.
Rijkaard had been struggling all night. Now that time was running out, he could no longer think about it. He looked at Ten Cate and asked, "Do you think Ronaldo will start?"
Ten Cate was stunned for a moment, shook his head and said: "I don't know, but I think we should prepare for the worst, and we should strive to score first and open up the situation first. By then, whether Ronaldo starts or not will not be so important."
Rijkaard still frowned, but what Ten Cate said was not without reason.
"That's it, let Oleguer play as a central defender with Puyol, and Belletti can play one more game."
…
…
Amid the boiling cheers, Gao Shen finally entered this hall that football fans all over the world dream of.
Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.
More than 98,000 fans gathered at the scene, except for a few Real Madrid fans in the corner, all of them were die-hard Barcelona fans.
When Gao Shen and Real Madrid players came out, the audience booed loudly.
It felt like tearing a person into pieces.
As soon as Gao Shen walked out of the player tunnel, his first reaction was to turn around and look at the stands above his head, searching around warily.
"What's the matter?" Lucas was very surprised by Gao Shen's reaction.
"I'm afraid there will be pig heads." Gao Shen replied.
Lucas, Buenaventura and the others all burst out laughing.
"Don't worry, there are no pigs in Camp Nou now." Maqueda said happily.
Sometimes he thinks that being profound is really interesting.
Of course, it is particularly annoying when he is forced to be a tool.
Gao Shen curled his lips, with an expression of dissatisfaction, as if he was the only one who knew more.
"It's not that I'm overly suspicious, it's just that this matter is quite weird." Gao Shen shook his head and muttered.
The referee tonight is Alfonso Perez Brewer.
Haven't you heard of this name?
That's right.
This guy is not a top referee even in Spain, but the problem is that on October 21, 2000, in the sixth round of La Liga, also at this Camp Nou stadium, Real Madrid challenged Barcelona away, and it was also Brewer who was the referee.
It was that night that a huge pig's head was thrown down from the stands.
Six years later, we met again.
"Gao, I remember you said that you are not superstitious." Lucas asked with a curious smile.
"Yes, I'm not superstitious." Gao Shen replied.
"Then why do you still believe this?" Lucas was puzzled.
Gao Shen waved his hand towards him, "I'm expecting them to throw a pig's head at me, too!"
Now not only Lucas, but also Buenaventura, Maqueda and others were all dumbfounded.
Is there such a thing?
Gao Shen looked at them and was too lazy to explain to them. These guys knew nothing.
If Barcelona fans really threw a big pig's head at him, he would be very angry.
Even if I stop coaching in the future, when I return to China, I will directly say this in the media: When I led Real Madrid to play against Barcelona, the fans at Camp Nou threw a pig's head at me. How awesome! How memorable!
Nowadays, if you want to be an Internet celebrity, you have to be memorable.
It’s like some famous singers who can sing the same song over and over again for decades.
Of course, this is still considered good. Some popular singers who have never had a single hit song can still be popular all over the country.
Lucas, Buenaventura and others had no idea what Gao Shen was thinking. Even if they knew, they would not be able to understand.
However, Rijkaard, who came out right after Gao Shen, was obviously not in as good a mood as Gao Shen.
I don’t know if it’s because of the lighting on the scene, but the Dutch black swan’s face is obviously darker than usual.
Especially when looking at Gao Shen in front of the visiting team's coaching booth, he clearly looked like he was breathing fire.
Why?
Ronaldo did not start!
